It's interesting to see the "other perspective" portrayed on Slashdot for once. Usually we only hear about victims of corporate lawsuits; here we're hearing about some squatters who perhaps need to be "victimized" by an Andover lawsuit or two.
The sad fact of life is that no matter what stance you take, some people are going to be worse off as a result. Media innovators, archivists, and consumers are going to lose out if IP laws are practiced too rigidly, but media producers and artists will lose out of IP laws are too loose. Obviously, Sting shouldn't be able to take back sting.com (and he didn't), but is slahsdot.com another story? There's two sides to every coin.
Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly advocating the fascist use of IP laws that the MPAA and RIAA practice. But I think it's worth understanding the resistance that some artists and producers have to the free software / new media ideals. Slashdot is Rob's baby; it's easy to understand while he might feel upset if someone tries to piggyback off its success and tarnish its name. And, really, how he any different from Lars?
...it's GNU/Linux! What you really meant to say is that you can run GNU's Not Unix's Not Unix's Not Unix's Not Unix's Not Unix's Not Unix's Not Unix / Linux inside Linux inside Linux inside Linux inside Linux inside...
Try telling that to the millions of people out there who struggle to find the money just for the basic necessities of life. Do you think an underpaid Chinese farmer is going to feel any regret over buying a pirated CD? One of the reasons piracy is so prevalent in the Third World is that many people simply don't have the money to pay for legitimate goods.
Sure, CDs aren't as important as food or shelter -- but they mean to people than you'd think. Everyone has a favorite song they identify with. Music is part of culture; should we deprive some people of the right to have a culture simply because they "cannot afford it"?
We found out that when we made it easier to use our software (i.e., no copy protection) users were happier and we still got paid. When we made it hard, they just didn't buy or used special programs to get around our schemes.
"Special programs"? Does this sound familiar to anyone? Take out a loan and buy a clue, RIAA and MPAA and friends -- people just don't want to put up with complicated protection schemes. Most people probably don't want to pirate material in large volumes. But they also don't have any desire to put up with inconvient copyright schemes (cough, cough, SDMI), regardless of whatever "noble" intentions ("Let's stop those pirates!") they might be designed with.
Look what happened to Circuity City's DIVX. It failed not because it was immoral or evil, but because people just didn't want to have to put up with such an awkward system. And, ultimately, nothing that isn't accepted by the mainstream populace will ever be worthwhile. They can throw out new data formats and encryption schemes until the cow comes on, but if puts too much of a burden on the average consumer (who just wants his movies / music), it will simply never catch on.
As much as I appreciate Mr. Fanning's efforts to democratize the music industry, I have to wonder why, if he's truly in favor of freedom, he hasn't made Napster itself more democratic. Why hasn't the Napster client been open-sourced? It seems that a program that enjoys such popularity much among the technology community would be one of the project to most benefit from the "many eyes" paradigm. And open-sourcing Napster would make it harder for the RIAA to thwart.
If Napster was made by a big corporation, Slashdot would be attacking Fanning ruthlessly, demanding that he "do the right thing" and open-source the Napster Music Community. But just because he's giving us free music, we're immediately placated? Please don't tell me that the free software community that I hold so dear is that easily won over by gift horses.
Sure, there's open-source Napster clones like Gnapster and Gnutella, but the popularity of those compared to Napster is insignificant. We can't have true freedom for music until all the distribution methods are liberated -- and that includes the Napster software.
I'd love to see a Resident Evil or Alone in the Dark-style "survival horror" game where you play as a zombie. Instead of running terrified around mansions, you'd just sort of shuffle along, looking for innocent people to feed on. If you didn't eat enough brains, you'd die -- I guess the idea would be to be the last zombie standing (it'd be a great multiplayer game!)
Of course, you'd have to watch out for all those nasty S.T.A.R.S. team members who want to shoot you with grenade launchers. You could either try to shuffle over to them and starting chewing on them (a dangerous, last-ditch move), or use your mighty arsenal of chess piece-coded keys to lock them up in some obscure corner of the five-story police station. (Later on you'd gain more powerful weapons, like the ability to blow fuses in the circuit box or the all-powerful Pile Of Rubble Blocking The Stairs).
There could also be an RPG element; for every human brain you ate, you'd gain a skill point. Skill points could then be allocated to improving different zombie skills like Hiding In Dark Corners, Pretending To Be Dead, and Punching Through Walls.
You know, that wouldn't be such a bad game design after all...
A number of posters have already pointed out that tracked viewing would lead to more relevant advertisements and could actually be a good thing for consumers. But, from the article, it sounds like this would eventually become a standard, mandatory feature in ReplayTV. Now, giving some amount of privacy to a company in exchange for more relevant advertisting is a reasonable exchange, and there's certainly good cause to make the trade. The problem is when consumers are forced to do so as part of some 30-page contract they'll soon have to sign when they buy a new TV -- you might not care about your privacy, but I do. "Features" like those should remain just that: optional capabilities for those who want them, not mandatory rules of the road for television viewing.
(And, sure, you could just not buy ReplayTV -- but, come on, it won't be long before these kind of devices will start appearing in every TV.)
Sony's actions here sound like a sort of (in)security through security. Okay, playing Everquest may not seem to have much to do with encryption, but the philosophy behind what's going on remains the same -- Sony's trying to ensure that people playing by the rules by preventing them from stepping outside the game's boundaries, rather than thwarting the cheaters by making it pointless to cheat.
If Sony really feels that eBay auctioning of Everquest items is hurting the game world (personally, I can't see how it would), the real solution would be not to ban sales, but to tweak / redesign the game world so that such sales are no longer worthwhile. (Having never played Everquest or any other similar games, I can't really offer any concrete suggestions).
Online options *should* be available...
on
Sega Dreamcast: $0
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· Score: 1
I don't know anything about the DC's specific status in Finland, but all you need to play online is a Dreamcast (even a non-free one) for and an existing ISP. The new "free Dreamcast" promotion is in addition to the existing online access plan; it's not a replacement for it.
DC netplay impressions from a Sega fan
on
Sega Dreamcast: $0
·
· Score: 5
I've spent a fair amount of time with the Dreamcast's Internet play features. In general, things are looking pretty good -- lag is an issue, but that's something that will probably get ironed out over time. A DC cable modem is also going to be released later this year, so you lucky Low Ping Bastards can join in on the fun;). (And, once again, you don't need a separate ISP for the Dreamcast... you can just use your existing phone line / broadband access.)
One of the best features of Dreamcast online gaming is the way you communicate. ChuChu Rocket, and other future games, give you a standardized set of phrases and messages you can activate from the controller. The cool part is that these messages appear to other users in whatever language they're playing in. In other words, if I'm playing against someone in Japan, I can select English phrases on my screen and they'll appear in Japanese to the person on the other end. CCR just offers a few taunts and gripes, but the multiplayer online RPG Phantasy Star Online (coming out worldwide this summer) lets you construct entire translatable sentences out of stock words.
The biggest problem right now, of course, is game selection;). Right now, there's only one game supported, ChuChu Rocket, which is basically Hungry Hungry Hippos on speed and is entertaining beyond belief. (If you haven't seen the infamous CCR commercial, you must download it now:P). Unfortunately, it gets old pretty quickly, and even in the month since it came out it's losing its appeal. There's a slew of online games coming up, though, including big names like Quake III and Half-Life.
As a diehard console gamer, I'm psyched that we're finally getting all the online features that our PC counterparts have been enjoying for years;). If you've been playing Quake for years, DC netplay is nothing special, but IMO it's a big step in the right direction for console gaming.
Good news -- a TJ&E sequel is in the works
on
Sega Dreamcast: $0
·
· Score: 1
The original game's developer, TJ&E Productions, has pretty much confirmed it on their website.
Apparently, the PS2 regional override is just activated by mashing buttons when powering on the systems (there's no set "code"). If you manage to push enough of them, it causes some sort of interrupt conflict and the regional protection doesn't get loaded (or something like that; I don't remember the specifics). In any case, this seems to be definite proof of the old adage that a bug is simply an undocumented feature;).
The DVD driver is saved on a memory card, and is only used when you want to play DVDs. If you have no interest in playing DVDs on the PS2 (if you already have a DVD player, for example), then you can delete the driver entirely and free up more room for game saves. In other words, the hardware is completely independent of the DVD driver.
There's a PC peripheral out called the DexDrive that reads PlayStation memory cards, so you can backup saves on your computer or download saves and copy them onto your card. Although it wouldn't work with the PlayStation 2 since PS2 memory cards hold more data, Interact (the manufacturer) will be releasing a PlayStation 2 DexDrive sometime after the system's U.S. release. Once the DexDrive is out, I'd imagine the 1.00 DVD driver will be a rather popular download... and PS/PS2 save files are a lot smaller than a full ISO;).
(The PS1 DexDrive was compatible with both Japanese and North American saves... I'm assuming the PS2 one will be as well.)
Monty Hall: I'm going to find out how a Chief Software Architect and a District Judge trade under the exact same circumstances!
(Bill Gates and Judge Jackson enter)
Monty Hall: What items have you folks brought?
Bill Gates: I've brought a copy of Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 2000.
Judge Jackson: I've brought an anti-trust lawsuit from 19 states and the Justice Department.
Bill Gates: You suck.
Monty Hall: Let's see how you do with this boxed copy of Red Hat, and what's under this box on Jay's tray.
Jay: This is the Red Hat distribution of Linux, a free, open-source operating system. It retails for approximately $5.
(RMS enters)
RMS: You mean "GNU / Linux."
Jay: Er, right.
Monty Hall: Now, you can trade what you brought today for either one of these items. Mr. Gates, do you want Red Hat, the item in Jay's box, or your own copy of Windows 2000?
Bill Gates: Linux sucks. I'll keep Windows 2000.
Monty Hall: Judge Jackson?
Judge Jackson: I'll take the item in Jay's box.
(Jay uncovers it. It's a bowl of hot grits.)
Monty Hall: A bowl of hot grits, perfect for pouring down your pants! It's all yours!
Bill Gates: Ha ha! Sucker!
(Judge Jackson trades the lawsuit for the hot grits. But wait!)
Judge Jackson: Wow, there's $400 in this bowl of hot grits!
Monty Hall: It must have been a rich grits crop this year! Now, Mr. Gates, do you want to keep your copy of Windows 2000, or would you rather trade it for what's behind the curtain that Natalie Portman is now pointing to?
(Gates thinks)
Bill Gates: I'll trade.
(Gates hands over his copy of Windows 2000. Natalie Portman opens Curtain #2)
Monty Hall: It's a pack of AIBOs! You can start your own electronic dog pound!
Bill Gates: What the hell? I want my copy of Windows 2000 back.
Monty Hall: Too late! That's it for today's show. Believe me, it's been fun -- and I'm not barking up the wrong tree!
D.M.C.A. by Jack Valenti and the Media People (sung to the tune of "Y.M.C.A.")
Young man, we'll take all your sites down I said, young man, this won't get off the ground I said, young man, your mirrors will be found There's no need to make any copies
Young man, Napster has got to go I said, young man, we want more of your dough You can't do this; the law went through Con gress Forget about DeCSS
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. We own everything that young people enjoy Music, movies, and all your toys
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. You can only stream Real You can't get a fair deal You can't do whatever you feel
Young man, are you listening to me? I said, young man, don't play that MP3 I said, young man, you can forget your dreams You reverse engineered our thing
No man makes copies for himself I said, young man, take Apex off the shelf Or we'll sue you, under the D.M.C.A. Didn't you read the E.U.L.A.?
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. We own everything that young people enjoy Music, movies, and all your toys
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. You can only stream Real You can't get a fair deal You can't do whatever you feel
Young man, I was once in your place, I said, I felt the U.S. was off base I felt no man cared about regions I felt the whole world was as one
That's when someone came up to me And said, young man, no more iCraveTV There's a thing here called the D.M.C.A. Next we'll have U.C.I.T.A.
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. We own everything that young people enjoy Music, movies, and all your toys
D.M.C.A. It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A. Young man, young man, we'll take all your sites down Young man, young man, this won't get off the ground
D.M.C.A. Just follow the D.M.C.A. Young man, young man, I was once in your place Young man, young man, I was way off base
Let's face it -- your average joe doesn't know anything about encryption or reverse engineering or the DMCA, and doesn't care to listen to a complicated explanation of why DeCSS is in the clear. But he does root for the little guy, and will probably side with DeCSS if he understands what's going on.
Rather than simply sitting back and refuting the MPAA's claims ("We're not pirates!"), we need to take the initiative and grab people's attention. First impressions count a lot, and most people haven't heard about DeCSS yet. Explain the issue in simple terms first to catch their attention. Then the people who want to know more can read up on how the whole situation started.
The piracy issue is a lost cause -- most people associate piracy with being wrong. But pick a different viewpoint (huge corporations are trying to control who can watch DVDs), and suddenly the MPAA appears to be picking on a bunch of innocent people. Forget the technical explanations; present the case in ways the technologically-uninformed can understand.
As long as the MPAA is defining the terms of the debate, DeCSS is always going to end up looking like the bad guy.
Slashdot Mirror
The sad fact of life is that no matter what stance you take, some people are going to be worse off as a result. Media innovators, archivists, and consumers are going to lose out if IP laws are practiced too rigidly, but media producers and artists will lose out of IP laws are too loose. Obviously, Sting shouldn't be able to take back sting.com (and he didn't), but is slahsdot.com another story? There's two sides to every coin.
Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly advocating the fascist use of IP laws that the MPAA and RIAA practice. But I think it's worth understanding the resistance that some artists and producers have to the free software / new media ideals. Slashdot is Rob's baby; it's easy to understand while he might feel upset if someone tries to piggyback off its success and tarnish its name. And, really, how he any different from Lars?
Oh dear.
Try telling that to the millions of people out there who struggle to find the money just for the basic necessities of life. Do you think an underpaid Chinese farmer is going to feel any regret over buying a pirated CD? One of the reasons piracy is so prevalent in the Third World is that many people simply don't have the money to pay for legitimate goods.
Sure, CDs aren't as important as food or shelter -- but they mean to people than you'd think. Everyone has a favorite song they identify with. Music is part of culture; should we deprive some people of the right to have a culture simply because they "cannot afford it"?
"Special programs"? Does this sound familiar to anyone? Take out a loan and buy a clue, RIAA and MPAA and friends -- people just don't want to put up with complicated protection schemes. Most people probably don't want to pirate material in large volumes. But they also don't have any desire to put up with inconvient copyright schemes (cough, cough, SDMI), regardless of whatever "noble" intentions ("Let's stop those pirates!") they might be designed with.
Look what happened to Circuity City's DIVX. It failed not because it was immoral or evil, but because people just didn't want to have to put up with such an awkward system. And, ultimately, nothing that isn't accepted by the mainstream populace will ever be worthwhile. They can throw out new data formats and encryption schemes until the cow comes on, but if puts too much of a burden on the average consumer (who just wants his movies / music), it will simply never catch on.
After all, the customer is No. 1.
If they don't, the Internet will certainly be an unequivocal success.
If Napster was made by a big corporation, Slashdot would be attacking Fanning ruthlessly, demanding that he "do the right thing" and open-source the Napster Music Community. But just because he's giving us free music, we're immediately placated? Please don't tell me that the free software community that I hold so dear is that easily won over by gift horses.
Sure, there's open-source Napster clones like Gnapster and Gnutella, but the popularity of those compared to Napster is insignificant. We can't have true freedom for music until all the distribution methods are liberated -- and that includes the Napster software.
Of course, you'd have to watch out for all those nasty S.T.A.R.S. team members who want to shoot you with grenade launchers. You could either try to shuffle over to them and starting chewing on them (a dangerous, last-ditch move), or use your mighty arsenal of chess piece-coded keys to lock them up in some obscure corner of the five-story police station. (Later on you'd gain more powerful weapons, like the ability to blow fuses in the circuit box or the all-powerful Pile Of Rubble Blocking The Stairs).
There could also be an RPG element; for every human brain you ate, you'd gain a skill point. Skill points could then be allocated to improving different zombie skills like Hiding In Dark Corners, Pretending To Be Dead, and Punching Through Walls.
You know, that wouldn't be such a bad game design after all...
John Carmack still works at iD and worked on Quake II and III; Romero left after Quake I to inflate his ego, I mean, form ION Storm.
(And, sure, you could just not buy ReplayTV -- but, come on, it won't be long before these kind of devices will start appearing in every TV.)
If Sony really feels that eBay auctioning of Everquest items is hurting the game world (personally, I can't see how it would), the real solution would be not to ban sales, but to tweak / redesign the game world so that such sales are no longer worthwhile. (Having never played Everquest or any other similar games, I can't really offer any concrete suggestions).
I don't know anything about the DC's specific status in Finland, but all you need to play online is a Dreamcast (even a non-free one) for and an existing ISP. The new "free Dreamcast" promotion is in addition to the existing online access plan; it's not a replacement for it.
One of the best features of Dreamcast online gaming is the way you communicate. ChuChu Rocket, and other future games, give you a standardized set of phrases and messages you can activate from the controller. The cool part is that these messages appear to other users in whatever language they're playing in. In other words, if I'm playing against someone in Japan, I can select English phrases on my screen and they'll appear in Japanese to the person on the other end. CCR just offers a few taunts and gripes, but the multiplayer online RPG Phantasy Star Online (coming out worldwide this summer) lets you construct entire translatable sentences out of stock words.
The biggest problem right now, of course, is game selection ;). Right now, there's only one game supported, ChuChu Rocket, which is basically Hungry Hungry Hippos on speed and is entertaining beyond belief. (If you haven't seen the infamous CCR commercial, you must download it now :P). Unfortunately, it gets old pretty quickly, and even in the month since it came out it's losing its appeal. There's a slew of online games coming up, though, including big names like Quake III and Half-Life.
As a diehard console gamer, I'm psyched that we're finally getting all the online features that our PC counterparts have been enjoying for years ;). If you've been playing Quake for years, DC netplay is nothing special, but IMO it's a big step in the right direction for console gaming.
The original game's developer, TJ&E Productions, has pretty much confirmed it on their website.
Apparently, the PS2 regional override is just activated by mashing buttons when powering on the systems (there's no set "code"). If you manage to push enough of them, it causes some sort of interrupt conflict and the regional protection doesn't get loaded (or something like that; I don't remember the specifics). In any case, this seems to be definite proof of the old adage that a bug is simply an undocumented feature ;).
The DVD driver is saved on a memory card, and is only used when you want to play DVDs. If you have no interest in playing DVDs on the PS2 (if you already have a DVD player, for example), then you can delete the driver entirely and free up more room for game saves. In other words, the hardware is completely independent of the DVD driver.
(The PS1 DexDrive was compatible with both Japanese and North American saves... I'm assuming the PS2 one will be as well.)
This is an Open Lyrics Song, feel free to modify as you see fit.
(Bill Gates and Judge Jackson enter)
Monty Hall: What items have you folks brought?
Bill Gates: I've brought a copy of Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 2000.
Judge Jackson: I've brought an anti-trust lawsuit from 19 states and the Justice Department.
Bill Gates: You suck.
Monty Hall: Let's see how you do with this boxed copy of Red Hat, and what's under this box on Jay's tray.
Jay: This is the Red Hat distribution of Linux, a free, open-source operating system. It retails for approximately $5.
(RMS enters)
RMS: You mean "GNU / Linux."
Jay: Er, right.
Monty Hall: Now, you can trade what you brought today for either one of these items. Mr. Gates, do you want Red Hat, the item in Jay's box, or your own copy of Windows 2000?
Bill Gates: Linux sucks. I'll keep Windows 2000.
Monty Hall: Judge Jackson?
Judge Jackson: I'll take the item in Jay's box.
(Jay uncovers it. It's a bowl of hot grits.)
Monty Hall: A bowl of hot grits, perfect for pouring down your pants! It's all yours!
Bill Gates: Ha ha! Sucker!
(Judge Jackson trades the lawsuit for the hot grits. But wait!)
Judge Jackson: Wow, there's $400 in this bowl of hot grits!
Monty Hall: It must have been a rich grits crop this year! Now, Mr. Gates, do you want to keep your copy of Windows 2000, or would you rather trade it for what's behind the curtain that Natalie Portman is now pointing to?
(Gates thinks)
Bill Gates: I'll trade.
(Gates hands over his copy of Windows 2000. Natalie Portman opens Curtain #2)
Monty Hall: It's a pack of AIBOs! You can start your own electronic dog pound!
Bill Gates: What the hell? I want my copy of Windows 2000 back.
Monty Hall: Too late! That's it for today's show. Believe me, it's been fun -- and I'm not barking up the wrong tree!
by Jack Valenti and the Media People
(sung to the tune of "Y.M.C.A.")
Young man, we'll take all your sites down
I said, young man, this won't get off the ground
I said, young man, your mirrors will be found
There's no need to make any copies
Young man, Napster has got to go
I said, young man, we want more of your dough
You can't do this; the law went through Con gress
Forget about DeCSS
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
We own everything that young people enjoy
Music, movies, and all your toys
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
You can only stream Real
You can't get a fair deal
You can't do whatever you feel
Young man, are you listening to me?
I said, young man, don't play that MP3
I said, young man, you can forget your dreams
You reverse engineered our thing
No man makes copies for himself
I said, young man, take Apex off the shelf
Or we'll sue you, under the D.M.C.A.
Didn't you read the E.U.L.A.?
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
We own everything that young people enjoy
Music, movies, and all your toys
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
You can only stream Real
You can't get a fair deal
You can't do whatever you feel
Young man, I was once in your place,
I said, I felt the U.S. was off base
I felt no man cared about regions
I felt the whole world was as one
That's when someone came up to me
And said, young man, no more iCraveTV
There's a thing here called the D.M.C.A.
Next we'll have U.C.I.T.A.
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
We own everything that young people enjoy
Music, movies, and all your toys
D.M.C.A.
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
It's here to stay; it's the D.M.C.A.
Young man, young man, we'll take all your sites down
Young man, young man, this won't get off the ground
D.M.C.A.
Just follow the D.M.C.A.
Young man, young man, I was once in your place
Young man, young man, I was way off base
D.M.C.A.
D.M.C.A.
D.M.C.A.
D.M.C.A.
B) He has no way of collecting the money
C) Whining about too many As and Bs
(This particular post falls into category C, of course.)
I'm going to say that it would require "a Beowulf cluster" of them :P.
You just made me lose all respect for myself :(. Now go to your room and just think about what you did, you good-for-nothing little ragamuffin.
Rather than simply sitting back and refuting the MPAA's claims ("We're not pirates!"), we need to take the initiative and grab people's attention. First impressions count a lot, and most people haven't heard about DeCSS yet. Explain the issue in simple terms first to catch their attention. Then the people who want to know more can read up on how the whole situation started.
The piracy issue is a lost cause -- most people associate piracy with being wrong. But pick a different viewpoint (huge corporations are trying to control who can watch DVDs), and suddenly the MPAA appears to be picking on a bunch of innocent people. Forget the technical explanations; present the case in ways the technologically-uninformed can understand.
As long as the MPAA is defining the terms of the debate, DeCSS is always going to end up looking like the bad guy.
...if OOG lives in a caveman who lives in cave, where does he get his Internet access? :P